Theophoric names
Encyclopedia
A theophoric name embeds the name of a god, both invoking and displaying the protection of that deity. Instances of theophoric names embedding Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...

, will be familiar among the many men named Apollonios or Apollodorus in Greek Antiquity.

Theophoric names were also exceedingly common in the Ancient Near East
Ancient Near East
The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia , ancient Egypt, ancient Iran The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia...

 and Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...

, where the personal name of an individual included the name of a god in whose care the individual is entrusted. The practice, called in onomastics
Onomastics
Onomastics or onomatology is the study of proper names of all kinds and the origins of names. The words are from the Greek: "ὀνομαστικός" , "of or belonging to naming" and "ὀνοματολογία" , from "ὄνομα" "name". Toponymy or toponomastics, the study of place names, is one of the principal branches of...

 theophory, refers to this naming convention of adding a god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

's name (or the local equivalent of the generic term for god) to an individual's proper name.

Christian theophoric names

  • The name "Christopher
    Christopher (name)
    Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the greek name Χριστόφορος . The constituent parts are Χριστός, "Christ" and φέρειν , "bear": the "Christ bearer" or "the one who bears Christ ". The name originates in the Christian legend of St...

    " literally means "Christ-bearer"
  • Theodore/Theodora
    Theodora (given name)
    Theodora is a feminine given name, the feminine version of Theodore, which derives from the Greek words θέος or theos, meaning "god" and δώρον or doron, meaning "gift." The name Dorothy contains the same word elements in reverse order...

     means "gift of God" http://www.lgpn.ox.ac.uk/names/developments.html
  • Dorotheus
    Dorotheus
    Dorotheus may refer to:* Dorotheus , 6th-century jurist who helped to draft the Justinian Code*See Gorgonius for St. Dorotheus, who was martyred with Gorgonius and Peter *Dorotheus of Gaza, monastic father...

    /Dorothea
    Dorothea
    -Saints:*Dorothea of Alexandria , a martyr*Dorothea of Caesarea , a martyr, patron saint of florists*Dorothea of Montau , Roman Catholic saint, hermitess and visionary-Aristocracy:...

     means "gift to God"
  • Theodosius
    Theodosius
    Theodosius is a name which might refer to one of several people:* One of three emperors of ancient Rome and Byzantium:** Theodosius I , son of Count Theodosius...

    /Theodosia
    Theodosia
    Feodosiya is a port and resort city in Crimea, Ukraine, on the Black Sea coast. During much of its history the town was known as Caffa or Kaffa .- History :...

    , Theodotos/Theodotē and Dositheus
    Dositheus
    Dositheos or Dositheus may refer to:*Dositheos , Gnostic*Dositheus Magister, Roman grammarian and jurist*Dositheus of Pelusium , Greek mathematician, probably Hebrew-born, active in Alexandria, best known for his correspondence with Archimedes*Dositheus of Gaza , Egyptian monk*Dositheos , i.e...

    /Dosithea mean "God-given"
  • Theophilus
    Theophilus
    Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός and φιλία can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend of God," i.e., it is a theophoric name, synonymous with the name Amadeus which originates from Latin...

     (Greek), Amadeus
    Amadeus
    Amadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer.It is based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, highly fictionalized.Amadeus was first performed in 1979...

     (Latin), Gottlieb
    Gottlieb
    Gottlieb was an arcade game corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was established by David Gottlieb in 1927, initially producing pinball machines while later expanding into various other games including pitch-and-bats, bowling games, and eventually video arcade games .Like other...

     (German) and Bogumił
    Bogumil
    Bogumil can refer to:* Bogomil , Slavic name also spelled Bogumil* Bogomilism, an ancient Gnostic religious community which is thought to have originated in Bulgaria...

     (Polish) mean "one who loves God"
  • Theognis
    Theognis
    Theognis was a member of the Thirty Tyrants of Athens . Lysias was able to escape from the house of Damnippus, where Theognis was guarding other aristocrats rounded up by the Thirty....

     means "god-knowing"
  • Theophanes
    Theophanes
    -Saints:*Theodorus and Theophanes , called the Grapti, proponents of the veneration of images during the second Iconoclastic controversy*Theophanes the Confessor Byzantine 8th-9th century historian*Theophan the Recluse Russian saint...

     means "manifestation of God"
  • Theophrastus
    Theophrastus
    Theophrastus , a Greek native of Eresos in Lesbos, was the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He came to Athens at a young age, and initially studied in Plato's school. After Plato's death he attached himself to Aristotle. Aristotle bequeathed to Theophrastus his writings, and...

     means "godly speech"
  • Theaetetus
    Theaetetus
    Theaetetus could mean:* Theaetetus , a Greek geometer* Theaetetus , a dialogue by Plato, named after the geometer* Theaetetus , a lunar impact crater....

     means "one who pleads to God"
  • Timotheus
    Timotheus
    Timotheus may refer to:*Timotheus , Athenian statesman and general*Timotheus of Miletus, 5th century BCE Greek poet*Timotheus , a musician at the court of Alexander the Great...

     means "one who fears God"
    • Fürchtgott is a German loan-translation of Timotheus


Some Christian saints have polytheistic theophoric names (such as Saint Dionysius, Saint Mercurius
Saint Mercurius
Great-martyr Mercurius was a Christian saint and martyr. Born Philopater in the city of Eskentos in Cappadocia, Eastern Asia Minor, his original name means "lover of the Father"...

, Saint Saturninus
Saint Saturninus
Saint Saturninus may refer to:*Saturninus , companion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, martyred in Carthage, feast day: 7 March*Saturnin of Toulouse , first bishop of Toulouse, France, feast day: 29 November*Saturninus Saint Saturninus may refer to:*Saturninus (died c. 203), companion of Saints...

, Saint Hermes
Saint Hermes
Saint Hermes, born in Greece, died in Rome as a martyr in 120, is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. His name appears in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum as well as entries in the Depositio Martyrum . There was a large basilica over his tomb that was...

, Saint Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...

).
  • Martin
    Martin (name)
    Martin may either be a surname or given name.Martin is a common given and family name in most European languages. It comes from the Latin name Martinus, which is a late derived form of the name of the Roman god Mars, the protective godhead of the Latins...

     for the Roman god Mars
  • God (Christian)
    • Gotfrid
      Gotfrid
      Gotfrid, Gotefrid, or Gottfried was the Duke of Alemannia in the late seventh century and until his death. He was of the house of the Agilolfing, which was the dominant ruling family in Bavaria....


Germanic theophoric names

  • Os, meaning "god"
    • Oslac
    • Oswald
      Oswald
      -Fictional characters:*Oswald Bastable, a character in E. Nesbit's The Story of the Treasure Seekers and Michael Moorcock's The Warlord of the Air*Oswald, servant of Goneril in Shakespeare's King Lear...

    • Oswin
  • Thor
    Thor
    In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...

    , the god of thunder
    • Thorstein
      Torsten
      Torsten is a male first name, especially known in Scandinavian and Middle European Countries.-Etymology:The Old Norse name was Þórsteinn. The name is composed by the words Thor and sten...

       means "Thor's stone"
    • Thorkel
      Thorkel
      Thorkel or Thorkell is an Old Norse masculine personal name. Among the more famous holders of the name are:*Thorkel of Namdalen, ninth-century jarl and father of Ketil Trout.*Thorkel Sursson, tenth-century Icelander and character in the Gísla saga....

       means "Thor's craft"
    • Thorulf means "Thor's wolf"
    • Thordis
  • Ing
    Yngvi
    Yngvi, Yngvin, Ingwine, Inguin are names that relate to an older theonym Ing and which appears to have been the older name for the god Freyr ....

    , an old name for Freyr
    Freyr
    Freyr is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with farming, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals"...

     (an epithet meaning "lord")
    • Ingrid
    • Ingeborg
      Ingeborg
      Ingeborg is a Scandinavian, predominantly Danish name carried by many prominent women in Scandinavian history and mythology. People named Ingeborg include:...

    • Inger
      Inger
      Inger may refer to:* Inger!, a 2006 political book* Inger, Minnesota, United States* Stella Inger , American television journalist* Inger, the main character of Andersen's fairy tale The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf....



Rarely, Germanic names contain the element Wod (such as Woðu-riðe), potentially pointing to an association with the god Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....

. In connection, numerous names containing wulf "wolf" have been taken as totemistic, expressing association with Odin in the earliest period, although -ulf degenerated into a mere suffix from an early time (Förstemann 1856).

Hinduism

Some traditional Hindu names honor Hindu Gods or Goddesses. Often, the same name is ascribed to multiple deities.

It is not uncommon to find Hindus with names of Gods. Shiva, Krishna, Ganesh, Durga, Radha, and Sita are all names of Hindu Gods or Goddesses as well as being personal names for Hindus. Hindu Gods themselves have multiple names, so it is not always apparent if an Indian name is the name of a God or not.

Judaism and biblical

The name of God that appears in Hebrew biblical texts is יהוה, transliterated YHWH.
(For more information about the pronunciation of יהוה see Tetragrammaton
Tetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...

, Jehovah
Jehovah
Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....

 and Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...

)

Among the Biblical names that have developed this way are:

Referring to God (El
El (god)
is a Northwest Semitic word meaning "deity", cognate to Akkadian and then to Hebrew : Eli and Arabic )....

):
  • Elizabeth
    Elizabeth (given name)
    Elizabeth is a feminine given name derived from the Greek Elisávet , which is a form of the Hebrew name Elisheva , meaning "My God is an oath" or"My God is abundance."...

    : Hebrew Elisheva
    Elisheva
    Elisheva or Elisheba was the wife of Aaron "the priest" , the forefather of the Kohanim, the Jewish priests, in the Bible. She is a daughter of Amminadab, and a sister of Nahshon, from the Tribe of Judah. According to later Jewish tradition, she is buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs in Tiberias...

     = "my God is an oath" or "my God is abundance"
  • Samuel: "name of God"
  • Michael
    Michael
    Michael is a given name that comes from the , derived from the Hebrew question מי כמו אלוהים? meaning "Who is like God?" In English, it is sometimes shortened to Mike, Mikey, or, especially in Ireland, Mick...

    : "Who is like God?"
  • Emmanuel/Immanuel: "God is with us"
  • Gabriel
    Gabriel
    In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...

    : "strong man of God"
  • Israel
    Israel
    The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

    : "struggles with God"
  • Nathaniel
    Nathaniel
    Nathaniel is a male name and surname. It comes from the Hebrew name נְתַנְאֵל/Nethan'el meaning "God has given"...

    : "God-given" or "gift of God"
  • Daniel
    Daniel (name)
    Daniel is a Hebrew masculine given name and a surname. It means, "God is my judge", and derives from two early Biblical figures, primary among them the Prophet Daniel.- Background :...

    : "God is my judge" or "justice from God"

Referring to Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...

:
  • Jonathan (Hebrew Yônāṯān or Yehônāṯān: "(whom) Yahweh gave"
  • Joshua
    Joshua
    Joshua , is a minor figure in the Torah, being one of the spies for Israel and in few passages as Moses's assistant. He turns to be the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua...

     (Yahoshea): “Yah is Salvation” (Jesus
    Jesus
    Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...

     is the Anglicized version of the Greek transliteration (ιησους/Iesous) of "Joshua").

Referring to other gods:
  • Abijam
    Abijam
    Abijam was the fourth king of the House of David and the second of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the son of Rehoboam, the grandson of Solomon and the great-grandson of David. The Chronicler refers to him as Abijah ....

    : "my father is Yam
    Yam (god)
    Yam, from the Canaanite word Yam, meaning "Sea", also written "Yaw", is one name of the Ugaritic god of Rivers and Sea. Also titled Judge Nahar , he is also one of the 'ilhm or sons of El, the name given to the Levantine pantheon...

    "
  • Nebuchadnezzar
    Nebuchadnezzar
    Nebuchadnezzar was the name of several kings of Babylonia.* Nebuchadnezzar I, who ruled the Babylonian Empire in the 12th century BC* Nebuchadnezzar II , the Babylonian ruler mentioned in the biblical Book of Daniel...

     (in Babylonian, Nabu
    Nabu
    Nabu is the Assyrian and Babylonian god of wisdom and writing, worshipped by Babylonians as the son of Marduk and his consort, Sarpanitum, and as the grandson of Ea. Nabu's consort was Tashmetum....

    -kudurri-usur)
  • Ishbaal: "man of Baal
    Baal
    Baʿal is a Northwest Semitic title and honorific meaning "master" or "lord" that is used for various gods who were patrons of cities in the Levant and Asia Minor, cognate to Akkadian Bēlu...

    ".


Theophoric names in Baal were sometimes "censored" as
-bosheth = "shameful one", whence Ishbosheth etc.

Some names might be controversial theological statements:
Bealiah could mean Baal is Yahweh and Elijah could mean Yahweh is El (and vice-versa, respectively). On the other hand, as traditionally understood, these names simply mean "YHWH is Master," and YHWH is God."

Theophoric names with "Yeho" or "Yo" prefixes or "Yah" or "Yahu" suffixes

The name of the Israelite deity YHWH (usually shortened to Yah or Yahu, and Yeho or Yo) appears as a prefix or suffix in many theophoric names of the First Temple Period, e.g., Yirme-yahu (Jeremiah
Jeremiah
Jeremiah Hebrew:יִרְמְיָה , Modern Hebrew:Yirməyāhū, IPA: jirməˈjaːhu, Tiberian:Yirmĭyahu, Greek:Ἰερεμίας), meaning "Yahweh exalts", or called the "Weeping prophet" was one of the main prophets of the Hebrew Bible...

), Yesha-yahu (Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...

), Netan-yah, Yedid-yah, Adoni-yah, Nekhem-yah, Yeho-natan, Yeho-chanan, Yeho-shua, Yeho-tzedek.

"Yahū" or "Yah" is the abbreviation of "YHWH" when used as a suffix in Hebrew names; as a prefix it appears as "Yehō-", or "Yo". In former times that was thought to be abbreviated from the Masoretic pronunciation "Yehovah". There is nowadays an opinion http://members.fortunecity.com/yahuwthah/Resource-577/AnsonLetter.htm that, as "Yahweh" is likely an imperfective verb form, "Yahu" is its corresponding preterite
Preterite
The preterite is the grammatical tense expressing actions that took place or were completed in the past...

 or jussive short form: compare yiŝtahaweh (imperfective), yiŝtáhû (preterit or jussive short form) = "do obeisance".

However, the name Judah (Yehūdah) is not an example: here the ye- is a verb imperfective prefix, and the name means "He adds [a son to my family]". Some other examples of "y-" in biblical Hebrew names are also verb imperfectives.

"Yeho" prefixes changed to "Yo" prefixes

In the table below, 13 theophoric names with "Yeho" prefixes have corresponding forms (in bold type) where the letters "eh"' have been omitted. There is a theory by Christian Ginsburg that this is due to Hebrew scribes omitting the "h", changing Jeho into Jo , to make the start of "Yeho-" names not sound like an attempt to pronounce the Divine Name. and http://www.lamblion.net/Articles/ScottJones/jehovah1.htm

Table of theophoric names with "Yeho" and "Yo" prefixes

[Note that theophoric names with "" [i.e. "Yo"] are written in bold letters.]
Strong's # Hebrew word Strong's Transliteration
Strong's Words Compounded
English Spelling
3059
Yehow'achaz
Jehovah & achaz [# 270]
Jehoachaz
3099
Yow'achaz
"a form of 3059"
Joachaz
3060
Yehow'ash
Jehovah & 'esh [# 784]
Jehoash
3101
Yow'ash
"a form of 3060"
Joash
3075
Yehowzabad
Jehovah & zabad [# 2064]
Jehozabad
3107
Yowzabad
"a form of 3075"
Jozabad
3076
Yehowchanan
Jehovah & chanan [# 2603]
Jehochanan
3110
Yowchanan
"a form of 3076"
Jochanan
3077
Yehowyada
Jehovah & yada [# 3045]
Jehojada
3111
Yowyada
"a form of 3077"
Jojada
3078
Yehowyakiyn
Jehovah & kuwn [# 3559]
Jehojakin
3112
Yowyakiyn
"a form of 3078"
Jojakin
3079
Yehowyaqiym
Jehovah & quwm [# 3965]
Jehojakim
3113
Yowyaqiym
"a form of 3079"
Jojakim
3080
Yehowyariyb
Jehovah & riyb [# 7378]
Jehojarib
3114
Yowyariyb
"a form of 3080"
Jojarib
3082
Yehownadab
Jehovah & nadab [# 5068]
Jehonadab
3122
Yownadab
"a form of 3082"
Jonadab
3083
Yehownathan
Jehovah & nathan [# 5414]
Jehonathan
3129
Yownathan
"a form of 3083"
Jonathan
3085
Yehow'addah
Jehovah & 'adah [# 5710]
Jehoaddah
3087
Yehowtsadaq
Jehovah & tsadaq [# 6663]
Jehotsadak
3136
Yowtsadaq
"a form of 3087"
Jotsadak
3088
Yehowram
Jehovah & ruwm [# 7311]
Jehoram
3141
Yowram
"a form of 3088"
Joram
3092
Yehowshaphat
Jehovah & shaphat [# 8199]
Jehoshaphat
3146
Yowshaphat
"a form of 3092"
Joshaphat

Table of Theophoric names with "Yah" and "Yahu" suffixes

Strong's # Hebrew word Strong's Transliteration
Strong's Words Compounded
English Spelling
3470
Yesha'yah
yasha [# 3467] & Yah
Jeshajah
3470a
Yesha'yahuw
yasha [# 3467] & Yahu
Jeshajahu
5418
Nethanyah
nathan [# 5414] & Yah
Nethanjah
5418a
Nethanyahuw
nathan [# 5414] & Yahu
Nethanjahu
138
'Adoniyah
'adown [# 113] & Yah
Adonijah
138a
'Adoniyahuw
'adown [# 113] & Yahu
Adonijahu
452
'Eliyah
'el [# 410] & Yah
Elijah
452a
'Eliyahu
'el [# 410] & Yahu
Elijahu
3414
Yirmeyah
ruwm [# 7311] & yah
Jirmejah
3414a
Yirmeyahuw
ruwm [# 7311] & yahu
Jirmejahu
5166
Nechemyah
nacham [# 5162] & yah
Nechemjah

External links

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